Major Matina Jewell grew up in the hinterland of Byron Bay and joined the Army at age 17.
During her 15 year military career she earned eight war medals, completed the physically demanding Navy divers course, served with the elite American Navy Seals, boarded smuggler ships in the Arabian Gulf and was eventually posted as a peacekeeper with the UN in Syria and Lebanon.
Now retired from active duty and a busy mum, she’s written a book about her experiences, volunteers with a number of organisations and has served on a number of advisory boards. She’ll share more on her story at the upcoming Fearless by SheBusiness, on the 2nd December.
Below she answers our Q&A about life and career.
Growing up what kind of career did you want to pursue?
I toured China playing volleyball when I was 16 years old and it was a life changing experience as it made me realize the privilege of living in Australia, something I’d previously taken for granted. I returned to Australia as a far more appreciative teenager and I wanted to make a difference. I decided to pursue a career that involved:
- work overseas to help disadvantaged communities with humanitarian aid,
- being part of a team and having a chance to lead,
- use both my physical and academic skills, and
I had also seen my parents struggle financially to support my older brother through university so being financially independent at 17 years of age was also a great priority.
In the end studying a university degree at ADFA (Australian Defence Force Academy) and training to be an officer in the Army satisfied all of my career pursuits.
Who inspires you?
I’m inspired by some many people but in particular my kids who provide me daily inspiration with their capacity and hunger to learn new things, fearless exploration of the world around them and their unconditional love. I’m in awe of my children’s courage to deal with change without the limitations that sometimes we adults place upon ourselves through our fear of failure.
Who (apart from you) is most surprised by your achievements?
My late grandmother who lived to almost 98 years of age would be most surprised with my achievements as she vocally objected to me joining the Army when I was 17 years of age. This objection came from a place of protection though as my Nan had lost two of her brothers during WWII and didn’t want to see me, her youngest grandchild, follow in their footsteps.
How have women helped shape your success to date?
I’ve been fortunate to be influenced by amazing, fabulous, incredible women throughout my life who have shaped and guided my career. All of these women have provided strength, encouragement, support and wise counsel when I was both at my lowest and highest points. I’ve found it’s important to surround yourself with like-minded people from ‘your tribe’ who share your vision and are prepared to help you achieve your dreams by giving you the tenacity to push aside the negativity that can often hold you back.
What qualities do you most admire in a female colleague?
Mutual respect and trust. For me, both of these attributes are something that you earn, it is not based on your job, appointment title or authority and respect is needed to be earned both up and down the hierarchy of an organisation. However the strongest teams are those built on trust and I want to know that my female (and male) colleagues have my back and will stand beside me in the trenches to dig in when the going gets tough.
What’s the key to successfully balancing work and life?
To be honest, I’m still trying to master the work/life balance and how to juggle two careers around young family. I think our former Governor General Quentin Bryce had some wisdom in her words of advice to me that “women of your generation can have it all…But perhaps not necessarily all at the same time”. I have found that in the attempt to balance work and life it is vital to create multiple levels of redundancy: effective and reliable support, without this you have little chance of succeeding.
If you had an afternoon to yourself, how would you spend it?
As a mum with two young children (a ten month old and three year old) we’re still in the thick of what we call “The sleep deprivation Olympics”, so sleep is pretty high on the priority list these days. If I had an afternoon to myself I’d pour myself a glass of fabulous champagne, relax on the lounge with the latest cooking magazine and then drift off to a wonderful sleep uninterrupted by children!
Who do you regard as your mentor?
I believe mentors are absolutely critical and I’m fortunate to have a number of mentors to provide me the strategic vision that I may not necessarily have at this stage of my career. I think it’s ideal to have a range of mentors with different skills, backgrounds and experiences across different industries to direct you in tough times and hold the vision when you’re struggling to hold it yourself. Mentors can often provide a broad view and can see the missing components, they can help you navigate roadblocks and overcome the obstacles that can derail your achievements.
What personal attributes have you used to overcome adversity in your life?
I think you need to have the courage and self-belief to push through tough days because there will always be tough days. Having lost team mates and my military career through injury on the battlefield during the 2006 Lebanon war whilst serving as a peacekeeper with the United Nations, I know what it is like to hit absolute rock bottom. I had to tap into my own inner drive to turn things around, out of the negative spiral I was in, and find a new sense of purpose to come out the other side. But I’ve learnt that out of periods of change and even out of great adversity can come incredible opportunities so long as we have the courage to pursue them.
If you could make one change to women’s lives, what would it be and why?
I would empower women in order to reduce violence across the globe. Having served in war zones and multiple missions around the world I have seen firsthand that the people who suffer and are most affected by war are women and children. It is also a fact that countries that enable women have less violence. As the Ambassador of the Thankful Foundation which is partnered with the United Nations, our aim is to provide funding, support and programs to empower women and cessation of violence against women and children globally.
What is the hardest part of your job?
I am so fortunate to love what I do – inspiring people to embrace change and get more out of their own lives. As a leadership, resilience and change speaker on the international speaking circuit travel is a necessary part of the role. The hardest part of being a breastfeeding working mum means I travel frequently with my baby and that means its extra tiring and it’s amazing how much gear we need to take with us for one little bub!
Major Matina Jewell is speaking at Fearless on the 2nd December, a high energy event for women in business. Get your tickets here.